Raspberries

[Wade E]

I found a pretty good supply of raspberries growing right in the parking lot of work this year and Ive been picking a quart bag everyday for about a week and a half but today I found the mother load of raspberries down then road and picked 2 gallon bags to the point where I could not close the bags and stopped as my back couldnt take anymore so after cleaning up at work again tomorrow Ill go back there and hit it hard again and the next day until the place is clean and that may take weeks. The last few years Ive been getting an OK amount from my parents garden but this year is a goner from the rain I guess but this new hot spot is to die for. This is going to be a stellar batch this year and probably 2 batches, Ill most likely sparkle the second batch.

 

[vcasey]

Hey Wade .....
Kids are lower to the ground, have lots of energy and are cheap labor. I really wish I could eat raspberries, but they sure don't like me

.
VC

 

[pelican]

Congrats on the find Wade! It's been slim pickins around here for raspberries for a couple years.

This year has been much better even though summer hasn't really come - The garden raspberries are bearing nicely and there are quite a lot of wild ones "up on the hill". If only I could inspire my kids to venture into the wild - I may have to bribe them, there goes the cheap aspect of their labor VC!

I'm hoping to gather enough to do a batch with NorthernWinos's raspberry merlot recipe.

 

[Wade E]

I have been getting eaten alive by bugs doing the picking even with bug spray on and the prickers are getting the best of me too but its all for the love of fermenting this precious stuff. I dont want my kids getting all tore up and eaten by the bugs otherwise I would be sending them in. They do help me a lot with the crab apple picking though and that will be coming up very soon as they are looking pretty red now, maybe another 1-3 weeks and we'll be gathering them all up. They pick what they ca reach while I climb the tree and shake the branches for the stuff I can reach.

 

[pelican]

Yeah, it's the bugs (and bug phobias) that keep my kids away from anything Living in the Woods even though they live in the woods themselves. My son can be found using an entire can of Deep-Woods Off on himself (a slight exaggeration but nearly true) just to take the compost bucket out to the other side of the yard. They will help pick the berries from the garden though.

When my husband goes out to pick blueberries, he has to put on a bee-keepers suit, the mosquitoes and deer flies are SO nasty where the blueberries are.

The things we endure for fruit!

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

And when we relax with a nice glass of the fruit wine, it all seems soooo worth it!

 

[Wade E]

Picked another 9 lbs today in the rain. Wasnt going to go but the rain slowed down for awhile and once I get started I get greedy and wont stop until the bag is full and I cant straighten back out! Almost got sprayed by a skunk this time too as I was trudging through the bramble and fell in a hole and i knew that couldnt be good so i jumped out fast which shredded my legs by as I did I caught a whiff of the infamous smell but it didnt get me and dint come out of the whole, That was close!!!!!!!!!

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Wade you really need to get someone to film these adventures, heck man, you may end up with your own reality show!

 

[grapeman]

It is a good thing you picked 9 pounds of berries Wade, because if you had come up empty handed you would have been skunked!

 

[Wade E]

You guys are killing me!

I figure 2 more trips and Ill be all set for 2 good batches and plenty for f-pacs. Finally got my friend over there also to make a batch of something other then a mist kit wine. hes the one who got me started in wine making but he only really makes 2-3 mist kits a year and 2-3 beer kits a year also. I bought him all the stuff to make a fruit wine so now he is psyched to do one and whats better then a basically free one and theres enough raspberries there for many more people.

 

[vcasey]

You know Wade should get enough for a raspberry mead as well.
VC

 

[Wade E]

I have a good supply of that in my cellar that has 2 years on it so Im covered there.

 

[Wade E]

Grabbed another 10 lbs today after work and picked up 15 lbs of sugar but only needed 9 as I guess these are pretty sweet. I whipped up a 6 gallon batch with a starting sg of 1.085 and I am wiped out. Really didnt want to start anything tonight but it was getting crowded in the freezer and the wife was getting pissed!

 

[Wade E]

Picked another 19 lbs today and started the second batch. I have about 12 lbs left over for f-pac but will pick a little more just to make sure. The blackberries are just starting to come out and grabbed about another lb today and hoping to get enough for at least a 3 gallon batch but dont think Im gonna get there.

 

[pelican]

Wade you are the Raspberry King! 19 pounds- and that's just yesterday! I've been picking around our place and have been adding what I get to the collection of bags in the freezer but I can't quite measure what I've got so far in pounds. I bow to your superior berry picking skills!

 

[Wade E]

The place Ive been going to is just so loaded with them. There are about 14-20 dark red very ripe berries on every spot that just requires and little wiggle and they all just fall right off into your hand. You cant waste any time on the ones that just fall apart into little balls though. I have one batch with Montrachet and the other with Pasteur Red to see the difference. All I can say is thank God thats over.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Cant wait to see Al sat on that Pasteur Recto!

Some pics would be cool.

 

[Wade E]

Good Lord whats wrong with my fingers!!!!!!!!

Your wish is my command! The batch on the right isnt as active as that was just started last night.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Awesome color to them.

 

[Wade E]

Thanks! The second 1 is starting to look more like the first as I just stirred it up and that really got that batch going. 18 lbs per batch plus I have around 7 lbs per f-pac to go in when done, should be damn good batches.